Fans of console and PC gaming headsets know about Astro. Even though they may not have the market share of their larger competitors, they have a large and dedicated following among gamers and arguably some of the most versatile headsets on the market. Last month Astro unveiled the A30 Cross-Gaming Headset, one of the first headsets available designed to be portable, and complete with an in-line microphone for telephone calls as well as a boom mic for gaming sessions. The A30 is also designed to be used with consoles and PCs and doesn’t require driver installs or custom hardware to work.

Astro sent us an A30 to test, and it’s as versatile as they say. The A30 performed well as a general use headset to wear connected to an mp3 player on the go, or connected to a cell phone to take a call using the in-line microphone. It also worked just as well when connected to its boom mic and a PC for multiplayer gaming or everyday applications like listening to music or watching video.

The Astro brand has a culture behind it that breathes indie cred, but gamers know that Astro headsets generally perform well and offer decent quality for the price point. While many people default to companies like Logitech and Razer for their gaming peripherals, San Francisco-based Astro makes gaming gear for a dedicated base of fans. The A30 is their newest headset to market, and designed to be flexible and used for console or PC gaming, and for stationary and mobile use.

The A30 comes in white and black with a glossy bezel, and includes a carrying case you can use to store your headphones when not in use. The headset itself is well built, if not a little light, with the earcups firmly mounted into the headband with a swivel-bolt that lets you twist the earcups into place without worrying about breaking them off. The cushions on the earcups and at the top of the headband are thick and plush, meaning they stay comfortable even after hours of wear.

Personally, I normally prefer circumaural headsets as opposed to supra-aural ones like the A30, but I found that even though the earcup doesn’t totally surround my ear, the headphones were still comfortable enough to wear during long gaming sessions without that nagging pain that comes from something pressed against the cartilage of your ear for too long.

Audio quality using the A30s was good; they support a 14Hz – 28 kHz frequency response, which is perfect for music and most PC gaming. If you want the full Dolby 5.1 surround sound experience, you’ll have to pick up the Astro MixAmp, which was included in the package that Astro provided, but not tested at the same time as the headset.

I found the A30s performed just as well in multiplayer games as it did listening to music on my smartphone, and the boom mic performed just as well using voice chat while gaming as the in-line mic did taking calls while walking around my apartment. The in-line mic disables itself when the boom mic is attached, so you don’t risk feedback. The boom microphone is both noise-cancelling and uni-directional, so the boom mic is ideal for gaming. The in-line mic is omni-directional, so it is ideal and inconspicuous for mobile phone calls. Both microphones provided decent voice quality, but the boom mic was noticeably better than the in-line mic.

The A30s are also designed to be highly portable. They come with three audio connector cables that connect to the headset for different uses. For example, if you plan to use the A30 for audio only, there’s a single audio connector so you don’t have an extra cable unattached somewhere. If you’re connecting your A30 to a mobile device like a cell phone, there’s a shorter cable that supports the in-line microphone. The unit also comes with a longer version of that same cable for connection to a PC or gaming console so you can sit and game without worrying a quick head motion will pull the cable out of the audio and microphone jacks.

One nice thing about Astro gaming headsets is their customizability, and Astro ships the A30 with Astro-branded or Major League Gaming (MLG) branded speaker tags. The speaker tags are decorative plates that attach magnetically to the outside of the A30’s earcups. You can even create your own tags using the Astro’s customization tool. Granted you can’t see the speaker tags once they’re mounted, but they do add an element of personalization to your headphones.

One note of warning: The Astro A30 works great for PC gaming and mobile use out of the box, but the connectors are standard analog audio and microphone 3.5mm jacks. If you want to plug the A30 into your XBox 360 or PlayStation 3 for online use and gaming, you’ll need to couple the headset with the Astro MixAmp, which will cost you an additional $129.95 on top of the cost of the headset, and can come with an optional optical audio cable for an additional $19.95.

All in all, the Astro A30s were fun to use, comfortable to wear, and felt sturdy and up to the task of repeated use. They sound great, and friends reported I sounded great while gaming online. Since the A30s use standard 3.5mm audio jacks, there are no driver installs required in order to use them with your PC. If you’re shopping for premium gaming headsets, the A30s aren’t the cheapest you may look at and they may not be the most bang-for-your-buck, but they offer premium quality that’s up to the price point and they’re definitely worth a look. They’ll set you back $149.95, and they’re available now.